Download US-U5-L1

Bell Ringer
• 1) Accounting for almost 60% of American exports by the
Civil War, which statement regarding the impact of
cotton is TRUE?
• A)The Northern states provided the labor for the cotton
plantations.
• B)The Southern states developed the plantation system
and rigid social classes.
• C)The invention of the cotton gin reduced the South's
dependency on cotton farming.
• D)The cotton production fueled the rise of manufacturing
centers in the Southern states.
Bell Ringer
• 3) Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation
had all of the following effects EXCEPT
• A)it transformed the Union's goal of the war.
• B)mass movements of slaves out of "border states".
• C)it caused the Union to change its Confiscation Acts.
• D)British and French refusal to support the Confederate
States.
US-U5-L1
SSUSH11 a, b, & d
• a. Explain the impact of the railroads on other
industries, such as steel, and on the organization of
big business.
• b. Describe the impact of the railroads in the
development of the West; include the transcontinental
railroad, and the use of Chinese labor.
• d. Describe the inventions of Thomas Edison; include
the electric light bulb, motion pictures, and the
phonograph, and their impact on American life
Steel
• Railroads increased the amount of steel being used in two
ways1st: The railroads used steel for their rails
2nd: Railroads made it much easier to transport large
quantities of the natural resources needed to produce
steel (iron & coal), which increased the demand for those
products
• The steel industry developed cheap, efficient methods for
the mass production of steel rails. The most efficient steelmaking method is called the Bessemer Process.
Railroads
Railroads
• Railroads also reshaped the steel industry (and
many others) by developing vertical integration
• Railroad owners bought iron mills, coal mines, and
factories which produced railroad cars
• Railroads helped to spur the “Gilded Age”
http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Transcontinental_Railroad&video_id=19400
Transcontinental Railroad
• In 1862 Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act which
helped create the transcontinental railroad
• Much of the western portions of the railroad was built by
Chinese laborers, specifically brought to the US to work on
the railroad. Irish immigrants also helped to build the RR.
• The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, at
Promontory Point, Utah.
• The Railroad transported settlers west and goods east.
Impact of the Railroad on the West
• The Transcontinental railroad
helped spur growth by:
– increasing the number of
markets (places to sell
products)
– requiring an enormous amount
of raw and finished materials to
build and supply the railroad
– Because it connected the east
coast to the west coast, it
opened up the west for
settlement.
Big Business
• During the Gilded Age, there was a growth in big business and
corporations.
– Corporation: An organization owned by many people.
• The economic philosophy of the times was Laissez-Faire
Capitalism
 The belief that the government should not regulate
businesses and the economy.
• Mass production was adopted by businesses to maximize
profit.
– Mass Production: Using machinery to produce a large amount of a
product in a short period of time, at less cost.
Big Business
• Leaders of big business applied Social Darwinism to business
practices.
– Social Darwinism  The theory created by Herbert Spencer that applied
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and survival of the fittest to human
beings.
– Captains of Industry  Name given to big business leaders who were
extremely successful using ruthless business tactics.
• John D. Rockefeller  Standard Oil
• Andrew Carnegie  Carnegie Steel Company
• Also were referred to as “Robber Barons”
Consequences of Big Business
• These big businesses used their financial
power to try to dominate politics. Due to this,
the state and national governments used
reform movements to try to limit big business
control over American society.
Thomas Edison
• Invented the
phonograph, light
bulb, and the motion
picture all in the late
1800s
• Created a research
lab to develop and
perfect his
inventions
The Impact of Edison’s Inventions
http://www.5min.com/Video/ThomasEdison-Biography-119827950
• Long distance electricity
transmission
• Electricity replaced steam
as a source of power
• Street cars using
electricity to run replaced
horses
• Electricity replaced
humans in the household
for powering appliances
(ex. a blender)
• http://atlantis.coe.uh.edu/archive/sstudies/
sstudies_lessons/ssles5/bigbusiness.html
#players
Closing
•
•
•
•
What industries did the railroads positively
affect?
What groups of people were brought to
America to help build the Transcontinental
Railroad?
What does Laissez-faire mean in your own
words?
Who were some of the Robber Baron’s of the
Gilded Age? Who/What are 2 examples of
Robber Baron’s today?